When I was younger, I used to wake up imagining that the world only bears happiness. Never did I taste the bitterness of life. It was always about rainbows, gummy bears and not about hunger and thirst.
But the moment I decided not to turn a blind eye, I was able to peek outside my privileged bubble. The world is not all about happiness. It never was, and never will be.
Today, as we face the Covid-19 pandemic, the so-called new normal is unfortunately suitable for the fortunate ones. Not for Mayrialona and Berhineza- students from a remote fishing community in Matampay Bucana, Lanao del Norte, Philippines whose dreams are way bigger than their family's social status.
No students left behind?
Mandated to follow a "no vaccine, no classes" policy, the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to implement distance learning programs to its educational system that gradually deepen existing social inequalities.
Despite the assurance from the DepEd, the country's education system amid a pandemic is only for those who have money. It is immensely struggling to extend a helping hand for those students who lack the resources of doing so.
"The activities required from the modules every week cost higher than face-to-face classes because I had to go to an open computer shop to do my research; I had to buy materials needed for some activities, and I had to look for shops who are offering printing services," eighth-grader Mayrialona Alebiano, who opted for a modular way of learning said in an interview.
Mayrialona is a daughter of a housewife and a father who works in the fishpond. Living in a fishing community is both a blessing and a struggle for her. Even though they are far from the noise of the urban municipality, resources for both basic needs and education are limited in their place.
Hard-working as she is, she shared that she would not want to become a burden to her family in these trying times, so she financed her school-works with her savings from selling crabs.
"My older brother is the one who is getting crabs from the ponds, and I always help him to peddle the crabs inside and outside our community. He usually gives me 20 to 50 pesos a day. The money I get from selling crabs is the money I spend for school-works," she expressed while smiling, feeling proud of helping her family even in her little ways.
Dedicated student. Eighth-grader Mayrialona Alebiano works hard to finish her weekly modules amidst the struggles of distance learning program. Photo taken by Hans Ethan Carbonilla.
When asked about what she would want to be, she said with full enthusiasm that she would want to become either a photographer or a singer. But with the current situation, she said that she does not know anymore what her future would look like.
Even though she is worried of her future, the determination and drive that are parching in her eyes to finish school made her decide to continue the same learning set-up for the next academic year if the situation does not permit to go back to normal.
Mayrialona is not the only one in her household who has struggles in distance learning. Her sister, Berhineza Alebiano is currently doing online classes as a Bachelor of Science in Criminology student.
Her classroom right now is not the ordinary classroom where every student is thrilled to be in every day. She has to maximize her 5-inch-mobile phone for real-time online classes.
Since they do not have an internet connection and a laptop that is suitable for online learning, Berhineza either buys load for internet data that costs her 70 to 100 pesos a week or runs into a piso wifi if the data's signal is weak.
Online classroom. Berhineza Alebiano maximizes her 5-inch mobile phone for online classes.
Photo taken by Hans Ethan Carbonilla.
"For me, face-to-face classes are better than online classes because, for students like I am who lack the resources, we usually lag from the rest," she added.
The amount of money spent by both sisters in distance learning programs they said is enough to feed their empty stomachs three times a day.
Both Mayrialona and Berhineza's schools are located far from their community. Before Covid-19 stirred the education system, both always journey through a seemingly adventurous way just to get to school. Depending on the situation, going in or out of the community can be done by either a 15-minute-walking or riding a boat to reach the other side.
Rusty footbridge. Slippery dirt roads. Bridges made from slim bamboos. It is not as easy as a piece of cake. But for people living there like the Alebiano sisters, they do not have a choice but to make themselves familiar with the ways.
Bamboo bridges. One of the unstable bamboo bridges that connect the ways in Matampay Bucana.
Photo taken by Hans Ethan Carbonilla.
The gap widens
The Alebiano sisters are just two of the roughly 28 million Filipino students who have been widely affected by school closures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. As a college student myself, the only wrinkles to my online classes are the unstable internet connection and the unannounced power interruptions.
I even winced from strained eyes and backaches from sitting and being on my laptop for a long time. Hearing the story of Mayrialona and Berhineza from the fishing community just proved that the distance learning programs widen the gap between those who are privileged and not.
A DepEd survey showed that of 6.5 million students who answered that they have access to the internet, nearly 20 percent of them use computer shops, piso wifi, or other public spots to go online. On the flip side, 2.8 million students have no access at all.
Frightening. The data represents how inaccessibility in this third-world country continues to spike up. According to the latest census, the age group with the highest population in Matampay Bucana is 10 to 14 years old – and those are students.
In Matampay Bucana where most of the residents are fisherfolk, the majority did not finish school. With the distance learning programs, parents of Alebiano sisters worry about helping and teaching their children regarding problems in their modules because they believe that their children achieve and know better than them.
The Alebiano sisters both said that they do not have a choice but to cope with the new normal of learning because they still have dreams to chase.
Beside the sea. An overview of the community in Matampay Bucana, Lanao del Norte, Philippines.
Photo taken by Hans Ethan Carbonilla.
Today, I always wake up thinking that the world is not fair. It never was, and never will be. Life may be sweet for me, but for others, it is not.
As the world faces the Covid-19 pandemic, the so-called new normal is unfortunately suitable for those fortunate ones. Education should be made accessible under any circumstances for students like Mayrialona and Berhineza who are from a fishing community in Matampay Bucana, Lanao del Norte, Philippines and whose dreams are way bigger than their family's social status.